Nickname:Formerly Denver Rockets renamed Nuggets, referring to the gold mining industry that
Denver was built around, a nickname of the previous Denver AAU/NBL/NBA team,
in the event of an ABA/NBA merger.

Coach: Michael Malone 2015/16-
Arena: Pepsi Center 1999/00-

Historical Moments:

1976/77: While the other three former ABA teams initially struggled with life in the NBA,
the Nuggets struck gold right away winning their first eight games on the way to
capturing the Midwest Division with a solid record of 50-32. Along the way the
Nuggets would lead the NBA in attendance with 17,150 fans per game. However,
in the playoffs the Nuggets would be stunned by the Portland Trailblazers in six
games after having earned a first round bye.
1977/78: With David Thompson battling George Gervin to the final day for the league scoring
title the Nuggets again capture the Midwestern Division title with a record of
48-34. On the final day of the season it appeared as if Thompson had won the
scoring title by pouring out 73 points against the Detroit Pistons. However, Gervin
would score 63 against the New Orleans Jazz to take the title by .07 points,
the closest race ever. In the playoffs the Nuggets would survive a seven game
war with Milwaukee Bucks to reach the Western Conference Finals. However, in
the West Finals the Nuggets would fall to the Seattle Supersonics in 6 games.
1978/79: The Nuggets would stumble out of the gate losing six straight games early in the
season and playing below .500 through December. However, as January started the
Nuggets started playing the type of basketball they were used to an appeared to
be set to make a run for the Division Title. However, on February 1st Coach Larry
Brown suddenly resigned to take the coaching job with UCLA, it would mark
a trademark over Brown's career of sudden departures. Under his replacement Donnie
Walsh the Nuggets would win seven straight games in March and would end up
falling one game short of their third straight Midwest Title with a record of 47-35.In
the playoffs the Nuggets would make a quick exit falling to the Los Angeles
Lakers in a three game series.
1979/80: The Nuggets would once again stumble out of the gate losing their first seven games.
However, with David Thompson being limited to 39 games with foot injuries the
Nuggets would not be able to recover this time finishing in third place with
a disappointing record of 30-52. As the season wound down the Nuggets would make
a major trade sending George McGinnis to the Indiana Pacers for Alex English.
1980/81: The Nuggets would become one of the top scouring teams in the NBA scoring 121.8 ppg,
as Doug Moe to over for Donnie Walsh as Coach in the middle of the season.
However on defense the Nuggets left a lot to be desired allowing a league worse
122.3 ppg while finishing in fourth place with a record of 37-45 and missing the
playoff for the second straight season.
1981/82: The Nuggets sent two draft picks to the Dallas Mavericks for the draft rights to
UCLA standout Kiki Vandeweghe to add firepower to a team already loaded with Alex
English, Dan Issel, and David Thompson. Vandeweghe, English and Issel would
all average more then 20 ppg as the Nuggets set a NBA record with 126.5 ppg, while
reaching 100 points in all 82 games. The Nuggets would go on to finish in second
place with a record of 46-36 making the playoffs after a two year absence.
However, in the playoffs the Nuggets would make a quick exit losing to the Phoenix
Suns in a three game series.
1982/83: Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe finishing first and second in scoring the Nuggets
continued to fly scoring 100 points in all but four games as the Nuggets finished
in second place with a record of 45-37. In the playoffs the Nuggets and Phoenix
Suns would once again lock horns in a three game series. However, this time
it would be the Nuggets who would advance with a 117-112 overtime victory. However,
in the second round the Nuggets would be burnt by the San Antonio Spurs
who averaged 132.8 ppg while beating the Nuggets in five games.
1983/84: The Nuggets continued to light up the scoreboard as they beat the Detroit Pistons
on December 13th in triple overtime 186-184 in the highest scoring game in NBA
history. The Nuggets would also put up their second highest point total scoring
163 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs on January 11th. However, the
Nuggets opponents would light up the scoreboard too as the team struggled to finish
in third place with a record of 38-44. Fortunately for the Nuggets the playoffs
were expanded from six to eight teams and the Nuggets got in to the postseason.
However, it would be a quick exit as they were beaten by the Utah Jazz in
a five game series.
1984/85: Prior to the season to improve the team's defense the Nuggets traded Kiki Vandeweghe
to the Portland Trailblazers for Wayne Cooper, Lafayette "Fat" Lever, Calvin
Natt, and two draft picks. The deal paid immediate dividends for the Nuggets,
as they got off to a solid 12-3 start, on the way to capturing the Midwest Division
with a solid 52-30 record. In the playoffs the Nuggets would survive a five
game shoot out with the San Antonio Spurs, before easily beating the Utah Jazz
4 games to 1 to reach the Western Conference Finals. However, in the Western
Finals the Nuggets proved to be not ready for primetime as they were easily beaten
by the Los Angels Lakers in five games. Following the season Dan Issel would
announce his retirement after ten years in Denver.
1985/86: Despite the retirement of Dan Issel the Nuggets played solid basketball all season
posting a winning record in every month except April to finish in second place
with a solid 47-35 record. In the playoffs the Nuggets would easily knock off
the Portland Trailblazer in four games. However, in the second round they would
not be able to match up with Houston Rockets twin towers of Akeem Olajuwon and
Ralph Sampson as they fell in six games.
1986/87: After a solid first month the Nuggets struggled all season playing below .500. The
Nuggets would need to scramble just to capture the eighth and final playoff seed
with a disappointing record of 37-45. In the playoffs the Nuggets would provide
no challenge to the Los Angeles Lakers who swept them in three straight games.
1987/88: After a disappointing season the Nuggets rebounded to capture the Midwest Division
Title with a solid record of 54-28, finishing one game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks
thanks to a season ending ten game winning streak. In the playoffs the
Nuggets momentum would slow, as they needed five games to get past the Seattle
Supersonics. Their momentum would disappear completely as they are beaten by the
high-powered Mavericks in six games.1988/89: The Nuggets would reign supreme at home posting a 35-6 record at Mc Nichols Arena
for the second straight season. However, on the road it would be a different story
as the Nuggets won just nine for 41 games to post a 44-38 record on the season.
The Nuggets would go into the playoffs on the wrong note losing their final
five games. In the playoffs the slide would continue as the Nuggets were swept
in three straight games, by the Phoenix Suns.
1989/90: The Nuggets began to show their age as they barely made the playoffs with a mediocre
record of 43-39. In the playoffs the Nuggets would fall right away losing to
the San Antonio Spurs in three straight games. Following the season an era would
come to an end in Denver as Coach Doug Moe is fired after a decade long tenure
in which he won a franchise record 432 games, while Alex English is not resigned
and departs via free agency.1990/91: New General Manager Bernie Bickerstaff decided it was time to rebuild the Nuggets
who had the oldest team in the league, so the Nuggets would make radical changes
trading off stars for draft picks. As always teams who rebuild often take their
lumps and the Nuggets with new Coach Paul Westhead were not any different enduring
a wretched season in which they finished with a league worse 20-62 record,
along the way the Nuggets allowed 130.8 ppg setting a new record for NBA defensive
generosity.
1991/92: To improve the Nuggets horrible defense the Nuggets selected Georgetown Center Dikembe
Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo, with the first overall pick.
A native of Zaire, who spoke nine languages (English, French, Portuguese, Spanish,
and five African dialects), Mutombo had an immediate impact as the Nuggets
showed improvement holding a 17-26 record through the first half of the season.
However, Mutombo would hit the rookie wall as the Nuggets struggled in the
second half winning just seven of their 39 games to post a record of 24-58.
1992/93: The Nuggets would bring back Dan Issel who had stared for them for ten seasons to
lead the young team as their coach. Under Issel the Nuggets would show some promise
despite 14-game losing streak from December 5th to January 5th. Around the
losing streak the Nuggets show significant improvement missing the playoffs by
just three games with a record of 36-46. Among the reason for optimism for the
future was the continued growth of Dikembe Mutombo into one of the league's best
defensive players, and the continued improvement of Guard Chris Jackson, who
was named the league's Most Improved Player, shortly after changing his name
to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
1993/94: The Nuggets continued to improve posting a 42-40 record and making the playoffs for
the first time in 4 years. However, no much was expected for the Nuggets as
they entered the playoffs as the 8th seed, matching them up with Seattle Supersonics
who had posted a league best 63-19 record. The Nuggets would find themselves
in a quick 0-2 hole after dropping the first two games in Seattle. However,
upon arriving in Denver the Nuggets used the shot blocking presence of Dikembe
Mutombo, along with career performances by Reggie Williams, Brian Williams, and
Robert Pack, to even the series with wins in Game 3 and Game 4. Going back to
Seattle for the fifth a decisive game the Nuggets were expected to see their season
end. However, managed to hang in the game and rallied to tie the game and
force overtime, where they would emerge with a one point victory becoming the
first 8th seeded team to beat a #1 seed. To punctuate the game Mutombo was on his
back holding the ball and smiling after the buzzer. Moving n to the 2nd Round
the Nuggets appeared to run out of gas as they dropped their first three games
to the Utah Jazz. However facing elimination, the Nuggets would rally again winning
the next three games to force a seventh game. However, this time the Nuggets
were unable to overcome their deficit as they lost 91-81.
1994/95: Coming of their improbable playoff run the Nuggets were bitten early by the injury
bug, losing LaPhonso Ellis for all but ten games due to a preseason knee injury.
After playing mediocre basketball through the first 34 games Dan Issel suddenly
resigned and was replaced by assistant Gene Littles. Under Littles the Nuggets
struggled winning just three of their next 16 games before he was replaced
by General Manager Bernie Bickerstaff. Under Bickerstaff the Nuggets would recover
making a late push and sneaking into the playoff with a record of 41-41, as
Dikembe Mutombo captured his first Defensive Player of the Year award. However,
there would be no magical playoff run this time around as the Nuggets are beaten
by the San Antonio Spurs in four games.1995/96: Building on a nucleus of center Dikembe Mutombo and guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, the
Nuggets acquired Antonio McDyess, who had been drafted with the second pick overall
by the Los Angeles Clippers. McDyess would make a solid contribution as he
was named to the All-Rookie team. However, the Nuggets who were still missing
LaPhonso Ellis who missed all but 37 games got off to a horrible start losing
eight of their first nine games and never recovered missing the playoffs with a
disappointing record of 35-47. Along the way the Nuggets found themselves in the
middle of an ugly controversy as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the
National Anthem protesting what he felt was the country's poor treatment of Muslims
in the world. After a one game suspension Abdul-Rauf agreed to stand and
pray during the anthem. However, the damage done his reputation could not be repaired,
as he was the consistent target of boos, as fans rejected his extreme Religious
views, before missing the rest of the season due to injury. Following
the season the Nuggets would trade Abdul-Rauf to the Sacramento Kings. In addition
the Nuggets would lose Dikembe Mutombo who signed a free agent deal with Atlanta
Hawks; suddenly the Nuggets were forced to start the rebuilding process all
over again.1996/97: The Nuggets would get off to a slow start losing nine of their first 13 games as
Bernie Bickerstaff was forced out as coach. Bickersstaff who briefly remained the
club's General Manager named Dick Motta as his replacement. Bickerstaff would
be replaced as General Manager in the middle of the season by Allen Bristow as
the Nuggets made sweeping changes throughout the season with 23 different players
wearing Nuggets uniform. Despite all the instability the Nuggets found themselves
in just about every game but falling short at then end losing 18 games
by ten points of less including ten games lost by one or two points. However, in
the end they would still post a record of 21-61, which landed them in fourth
place.1997/98: In a continued remaking of the Nuggets the team traded Antonio McDyess to the Phoenix
Suns for three first-round draft picks in the next two years, while clearing
salary cap room for the Nuggets to lure free agents. Without McDyess and under
New Coach Bill Hanzlik the Nuggets hit rock bottom posting a wretched record
of 11-71, which just narrowly avoided being the worst record of all time by a
mere two games. Along the way the Nuggets would fire General Manager Allan Bristow
and replace him with Dan Issel who fired Coach Bill Hanzlik following the season
to complete the house cleaning. With the extra salary cap room the Nuggets
had, Issel would bring back Antonio McDyess singing him to a free agent deal.
1998/99: Despite the return of Antonio McDyess the Nuggets continued to struggle under new
Coach Mike D'Antonio, finishing with a 14-36 record while finishing in 6th place
in a season cut in half by a lockout. Following the season D'Antonio would be
let go as Dan Issel added Coach to his responsibilities. 1999/00: With Dan Issel back on the bench the Nuggets began play at the brand new state of
the art Pepsi Center, which was replacing McNichols Arena which some considered
the worst arena in the league. With the acquisition of Ron Mercer the Nuggets
had a solid nucleus of Raef LaFrentz, Antonio McDyess and Nick Van Exel, wining
12 of their first 15 games on the road. However, the Nuggets would struggle on
the road and hovered around .500 for most of the first half. Fearing they would
lose Mercer to free agency the Nuggets would trade him, to the Orlando Magic
with Chauncey Billups and Johnny Taylor in exchange for Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Chris
Gatling and a future first round pick. The Nuggets would win their first game
after the trade to improve to 21-22. However, with a back loaded road scheduled
the Nuggets would struggle in the second half finishing in fifth place with
a record of 35-47.
2000/01: Antonio McDyess finally realized his potential averaging 20.8 ppg and 12.1 rebounds
while making it to his first All-Star Game. Through January the Nuggets were
a playoff contender posting a record of 26-18. However the Nuggets faded in February
and March winning just nine of 28 games as they missed the playoff for the
sixth straight year with a record of 40-42.
2001/02: After finishing just two games below .500 the Nuggets would suffer another disastrous
setback as Antonio McDyess suffered a pre season knee injury, which limited
him to just 10 games. Things would only get worse as Tariq Abdul-Wahad suffered
an injury and Nick Van Exel demanded a trade. Things would only get worse as
Coach Dan Issel got into hot water after yelling a racial slur at a Mexican fan.
Issel one of the top players in Nuggets history would be forced to resign in
embarrassment to bring an end to the escalating controversy. Under his replacement
Mike Evans the Nuggets stumbled along until a blockbuster trade sent Nick
Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Avery Johnson to the Dallas Mavericks
for Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway, Donnell Harvey and a first round draft pick.
Howard would lead the Nuggets in scoring down the stretch as the Nuggets finished
in 6th place with a record of 27-55.2002/03: Prior to the start of the season the Nuggets would have another front office shake
up naming Kiki Vandeweghe. Kiki would begin by rebuilding the Nuggets all over
again trading Antonio McDyess to the New York Knicks for Marcus Camby and Nené
Hilario. After a long and somewhat embarrassing search the Nuggets would enter
the season with a new coach in Jeff Bzdelik. However, with Juwan Howard, and
Brazilian rookie Nené as the lone Nuggets to average more then 10 ppg the Nuggets
suffered through another terrible season posting a 17-65 record, which was tied
with the Cleveland Cavaliers with the worst record in the NBA. Following the
season the Nuggets would continue to retool by letting Juwan Howard leave via
free agency, while signing free agent guard Andre Miller from the Los Angels Clippers.
However, it was through the draft that the Nuggets got who they believe
will be the player of the future as they selected Forward Carmello Anthony who
as a freshman has just led Syracuse to National Championship.
2003/04: Coming off a wretched 17-65 season the only place for the Nuggets to go was up, one
player who was key to their success was Rookie Carmello Anthony who showed veteran
poise right away as the Nuggets got off to a solid start posting a 10-6
record through November which included a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers as Anthony
battled fellow super rookie LeBron James. The Nuggets continued to play well
in December as they surpassed their previous season's win total and found themselves
in the thick of the playoff picture. The Nuggets would continue to be
in the playoff race all season despite posting losing records in February and
March as Anthony hit the rookie wall. However by finishing the season with 5 wins
in their last 7 games the Nuggets were able to grab the lost playoff spot in
the West with a 43-39 record. Despite 21 points and 6 rebounds per game Carmello
Anthony would finish second to LeBron James in Rookie of the Year voting. However
Anthony got the Nuggets into the postseason, where they faced the Minnesota
Timberwolves. Despite strong games from Carmello the Nuggets dropped the first
two games on the road. Hosting their first playoff game in nine years the Nuggets
bounced back to win Game 3 101-86. With a chance to even the series in Game
4 the Nuggets had a potential game tying by Voshon Lenard miss at the buzzer
in a heartbreaking 84-82 loss, as they went on to fall to the Wolves in five games.
2004/05: Coming off their first playoff appearance in nine years the Nuggets got off to a
shaky start as Carmello Anthony struggled early. Sitting at 13-15 on December 27th
the Nuggets would fire Coach Jeff Bzdelik. Under interim Coach Michael Cooper
they would not fair much better as they won just four of their next 14 games,
before the Nuggets decided to hire George Karl a Coach with a proven track record
that included a Western Conference Championship with the Seattle Supersonics
in 1996. The hiring of Karl had an immediate effect as the Nuggets picked up
their play right away winning five of their next six games. The Nuggets would
continue their strong play down the stretch winning 25 of their last 29 games to
make the playoffs with a 49-33 record. In the playoffs the Nuggets became a team
nobody wanted to face and they showed why right away beating the San Antonio
Spurs on the road 93-87 in Game 1. However, the Spurs would rebound to take the
next four games to win the series on the way to a NBA Championship the Nuggets
gave them all they could handle as Game 4 went to overtime before the Spurs
pulled away for a 126-115 win.
2005/06: After their strong finish there was an air of optimism for the Nuggets entering the
season, as Coach George Karl entered his first full season. However, early in
the Nuggets first game disaster struck as Nene the teams budding young star rebounder
suffered a season ending knee injury playing just two minutes. Without
Nene the Nuggets were vulnerable to bigger physical teams. However, against teams
that like to run up and down the court with a small line up played right into
the Nuggets hands. Playing in the Northwest Division was also helpful for the
Nuggets as they were below .500 but in first place as the New Year began. Led
by Carmelo Anthony who had a team high 26.5 ppg the Nuggets would eventual go
over .500, as they captured their first division title in nearly two decades with
a 44-38, as they were the only team in their division to make the playoffs.
In the playoffs the Nuggets were a team that became targets of scorn as they had
the third seed despite having the same record as the eighth seeded Sacramento
Kings, this would lead to changes in the playoff seeding as the division champs
was no longer guaranteed the top three spots. Playing the Los Angeles Clippers
and not having home court as home court was decided on team record and not playoff
seeding the Nuggets were exposed as they were beaten convincingly in five
games.
2006/07: The Nuggets looking to improve acquired J.R. Smith and Joe Smith in the off-season,
as they continued to play decent but not dominating basketball. Meanwhile Carmelo
Anthony continued to bud into a star as he led the NBA in scoring through
22 games, when he found himself in the middle of controversy as the Nuggets had
an ugly brawl with the New York Knicks in the waning seconds of a blow out win
on the road. The fight which started after the Knicks Mardy Collins committed
a hard foul on J.R. Smith, evolved into the talk of the league when Melo landed
a sucker punch on Collins and ran away, causing the brawl which was nearly extinguished
to flare up again. The fight would lead to heavy criticism for Carmelo
Anthony and a 15-game suspension. Just a few days after the fight fearing the
loss of Anthony would hurt their playoff chances the Nuggets pulled the trigger
on a blockbuster deal landing Allen Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers for
Joe Smith, Andre Miller, and two first-round draft picks. Despite the arrival of
Iverson, the Nuggets struggled at the end of December as they adjusted to the
new line up. Even with the return of Anthony from his suspension the Nuggets continued
to play mediocre basketball as they were below .500 at the end of March,
at 35-36. Needing a strong finish to just make the playoffs the Nuggets played
their best basketball in April, winning eight in a row as they closed the season
with wins in 10 of their last 11 games as they ended the season with a record
of 45-37 which was good enough to make the playoffs. Facing the San Antonio
Spurs in the first round the Nuggets stayed hot taking Game 1 on the road 95-89
as Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony combined for 61 points. After losing Game
2 the series shifted to Denver, where the Nuggets hoped the home court edge could
give them back the lead in the series. However, the championship mettle of
the Spurs would get in the way as the thrr point shooting of Robert Horry and
Michael Finley lifted the Spurs to a 96-91 win. In Game 4 it was Horry again as
the Spurs won 96-89, to send the Nuggets to the brink. Unfortunately for the Nuggets
there would be no return form the brink and no return to Denver as the season
ended with a 93-78 Game 5 loss in San Antonio.

2007/08: In Allen Iverson's first full season in Denver, the Nuggets began the season with
high expectations. However, from the early going the mix did not seem right, though
the Nuggets talent alone was able to keep them in playoff contention. This
was largely due to the high scoring efforts of Iverson, and Carmelo Anthony who
each averaged more then 25 ppg. A tally that no doubt, that was inflated, when
the Nuggets beat the Seattle Supersonics 168-116, the third highest regulation
point total in NBA history. However, something seemed off all season as the
Nuggets despite a solid 50-32 record entered the playoffs as the eighth seed, with
the feeling they had no chance of going very far. Those feelings would be true,
as the Nuggets weaknesses were exposed as they took on the Los Angeles Lakers
in the first round of the playoffs. The series was a sweep and none of the
games were really close as the Lakers dominated the Nuggets on both ends of the
court. Following the season in a move to get more salary cap flexibility the Nuggets
would trade Marcus Camby to the Los Angeles Clippers.
2008/09: The Nuggets continued to make changes as the season started trading Allen Iverson
on November 3rd to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess,
and Cheikh Samb. While McDyess was waived just a week later, Billups was the focus
of the deal, bringing back to the Nuggets, a Denver native who was not quite
ready for the NBA. The player returning to Denver was now a NBA All-Star who
was a proven post-season performer with a NBA Finals MVP. The deal to land Chauncey
Billups would be just the jump start the Nuggets needed, as he fit into Coach
George Karl's system like a glove, as Carmelo Anthony led the way with 22.8
ppg, while Billups had 6.4 assists per game, as the Nuggets climbed to the top
of the Northwest Division. The Nuggets would go to post a 54-28 record equaling
their best record since joining the NBA, as General Manager Mark Warkentien won
the NBA Executive of the Year Award . In the playoffs the Nuggets faced the
New Orleans Hornets in the first round, and got off to a quick start winning the
first two games at home, with Chauncey Billups topping 30 points in each game.
After dropping Game 3, the Nuggets took the hammer to New Orleans, with a 121-63
win in Game 4 that gave them a 3-1 series lead. The score was the most lob-sided
game in NBA playoff history. The Nuggets would go on to win the series in
five games, closing out the Hornets with a 107-86 win in Game 5. In the second
round the Nuggets faced the Dallas Mavericks and again got off to a good start,
winning the first two games at home. As the series shifted to Dallas, the Nuggets
turned to Carmelo Anthony to take a 3-0 lead, as the Nuggets star nailed a
three point shot with under five seconds left to deliver a dramatic 106-105 win.
After dropping Game 4 by two points, the Nuggets closed the series with an 1124-110
victory to reach the Western Conference for the first time since 1985.
In the Conference Finals the Nuggets faced the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers,
and earned the all important split of the first two games in Los Angeles, with
a 106-103 win in Game 2. However, they would suffer a disappointing 103-97
loss in Game 3 at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets would win Game 4 to even the series,
but the Lakers would prove to be too strong as they eliminated the Nuggets
in six games on the way to winning the NBA Championship.
2009/10: After reaching the Western Conference Finals the Nuggets looked to take the next
step as they acquired Aaron Afflalo in a draft day trade with the Detroit Pistons.
When the season began the Nuggets started off strong winning their first five
games. The Nuggets continued to play well into December, as Carmelo Anthony
was among the league leaders in scoring, highlighted by a 50 point performance
against the New York Knicks on November 27th. Over the Holidays the Nuggets stumbled,
losing five of six games. However, they still had a solid 20-12 record as
January began. The New Year brought good things for the Nuggets as they posted
a 12-3 record, which helped get Coach George Karl the chance to Coach the Western
Conference All Stars in the All Star Game in Dallas. As the break arrived,
the Nuggets were the second seed the West with a record of 35-18. However, shortly
after the break they would get some bad news as George Karl was diagnosed
with cancer in his neck and throat. Though the cancer was treatable the Nuggets
would spend much of the second half without their coach. With Adrian Dantley taking
over for Karl the Nuggets struggled down the stretch and slipped into the
fourth spot in the West. However, they would win their second straight division
title with a record of 53-29. In the playoffs the Nuggets faced the Utah Jazz
and got off to a good start as Carmelo Anthony scored 42 points in a 126-113 win
in Game 1 at the Pepsi Center. However, the Jazz would bounce back to take the
next three games. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith put up a strong effort in Game
5, as the Nuggets avoided elimination with a 116-102 win. It would not be enough
as the Jazz won the series in six games with a 112-104 win in Game 6.
2010/11: As the season began the Nuggets had a big headache, as Carmelo Anthony a free agent
at the end of the season, demanded to be traded to the New York Knicks. The
Nuggets had a deal in place to send him to the New Jersey Nets, but Anthony let
it be known he would only accept a deal to the Knicks, stating he would not discuss
a contract extension. This put the Nuggets in a pickle, as they did not want
to end up like the Cleveland Cavaliers, who got nothing in return, when LeBron
James signed with the Miami Heat in the off-season. Despite the tension surrounding
Melo's trade demands, the Nuggets started the season with a 110-88 win
over the Utah Jazz at the Pepsi Center. Carmelo Anthony often was the Nuggets
leading scorer on nightly basis as the Nuggets entered the New Year with a record
of 18-13. On December 10th, George Karl, who was winning his battle with cancer,
became the seventh coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games as the Nuggets
beat the Toronto Raptors 123-116. The Nuggets continued to play solid basketball
up until the All-Star Break, as they held a 32-25 record. However, it was clear
the time was up for the Nuggets when it came to Carmelo Anthony, whose wish
would be granted as he was sent to the New York Knicks on February 21st as part
of a three team deal involving the Minnesota Timberwolves. The blockbuster trade
also sent Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams
and Corey Brewer to the Knicks. As the Nuggets received Wilson Chandler, Danilo
Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, and three draft picks
in return, while Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph and a draft pick from the Nuggets
went to the Wolves. After the trade, Nuggets Coach George Karl said, "I'm glad
it's over. I'm glad it's an opportunity to reinvent". Reinvent, the Nuggets
would as they played their best basketball after the deal, posting a 10-3 record
in March as they went on to finish the season with a solid record of 50-32.
In the playoffs the Nuggets, with the fifth seed would face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Nuggets would hang tough in Game 1, despite allowing 72 points to Kevin
Durant and Russell Westbrook combined, losing on Kendrick Perkins tip in with
1:06 left in the game. The Nuggets had thought Perkins had committed basket
interference. After suffering a 106-89 loss in Game 2, the series shifted to Denver,
where the Nuggets lost another heartbreaker 97-94 on Russell Westbrook's
bucket with ten seconds left in the game. The Nuggets would hold off the sweep
with a 104-101 win in Game 4, as Ty Lawson scored a career high 27 points. However,
the Nuggets lost a nine point lead in the final four minutes as Kevin Durant
scored 41 points to lead the Thunder to a 100-97 win in Game 5. 2011/12: During the offseason, the Nuggets continued to remake their roster as the dust continued
to settle after the Carmelo Anthony trade. The Nuggets would say good bye
to Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith, both of whom signed to play in China during
the lockout. They would also say good bye to Raymond Felton as they reacquired
Andre Miller from the Portland Trailblazers. In addition, the Nuggets would pick
up Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer. When the season got started, they day after
Christmas the Nuggets got off to a surprising fast start, as they won 14 of
their first 19 games. Two players who broke out early and helped the Nuggets get
off to their strong start were Ty Lawson, who led the team in scoring with 16.4
ppg, while Danilo Gallinari acquired in the Melo deal was averaging 14.6 before
getting hurt. Injuries were part of the story of the lockout shortened season,
as Rudy Fernandez played in just 31 games, as the Nuggets suffered through
a 5-10 record during February. At 24-20, the Nuggets were once again active at
the trade deadline, sending Nene Hilario and Brian Cook along with a draft pick
to the Washington Wizards for JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf. While Turiaf never
played a game for the Nuggets, McGee became one of their best players down the
stretch, averaging 10.3 ppg while providing excellent defense on the boards.
Another player helping to drive the Nuggets towards the playoffs was first round
draft pick Kenneth Faried out of Morehead State. Faried averaged 10.2 ppg and
led the Nuggets in rebounds with 7.7 boards per game.

2012 Playoffs: In the playoffs the Nuggets again had a tough first round draw against the Los Angeles
Lakers. After losing the first two games on the road, the Nuggets looked
to make the series competitive at the Pepsi Center in Game 3. The Nuggets would
get an outstanding effort as Ty Lawson scored 25 points to lead Denver to a 99-84
win. However, after losing 92-88 in Game 4 the Nuggets appeared to be heading
for a quick exit down 3-1 and facing elimination in Game 5 at the Staples Center,
as Lakers Center Andrew Bynum said, "Close out games are easy." The Nuggets
would prove Bynum wrong responding with a 102-99 win, despite a 43 point game
from Kobe Bryant, as Andre Miller led a strong team effort with 24 points. The
Nuggets would also win Game 6 at home, 113-96 as Ty Lawson had a game high 32
points. However, the Lakers got a boost from the return of Metta World Peace,
and would win the series in seven games 96-87, as the Nuggets could not overcome
19 turnovers and poor shooting in the fourth quarter.
2012/13: After being bounced by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs,
the Nuggets were in a four team deal that helped the Lakers land All-Star Center
Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic. The deal also involved the Philadelphia
76ers, who sent the Nuggets Andre Iguodala, while Denver sent Arron Afflalo and
Al Harrington to the Magic. The Nuggets would start the season with a three
game Eastern road swing, losing all three before coming home to beat the Detroit
Pistons 109-97 in their home opener. The Nuggets would spend most of the first
month on the road, as they threaded water at .500. The Nuggets continued to play
more games away from home in December, but thanks to winning nine of their
first ten games at the Pepsi Center they entered the New Year above .500 at 17-15.
In January the Nuggets began playing more games at home, and won 11 of 14 games
to climb up the Western Conference playoff race and make a run at the Oklahoma
City Thunder's division lead. The Nuggets would be dominant at home in the
second half, as they won their last 23 games. The Nuggets home court advantage
would see them post a league best 38-3 record at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets
would even enjoy a 14 game winning streak as they battled for the top spot in
the West. The Nuggets would finish the season strong winning seven of their last
eight games as they posted a record of 57-25 to take the third seed in the West,
just finishing three games behind the Thunder. However, late in the season
the Nuggets suffered a blow, when Danilo Gallinari suffered a season ending knee
injury. It had been a breakout season for Gallinari as he had a career high 16.2
points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. Only Ty Lawson had more points
per game on the Nuggets with 16.7, while also leading the team with 6.9 assists
per game. Another Nugget having a breakout season was Kenneth Farried who
had 11.5 ppg and team high 9.2 rebounds per game. Due to the Nuggets strong season
Masai Ujiri was named Exceutive of the Year, while George Karl was named Coach
of the Year.
2013 Playoffs: With the third seed the Nuggets would face the Golden State Warriors in the first
round of the NBA Playoffs. The Nuggets would struggle in the opener despite playing
on their home floor, needing a last second shot by Andre Miller to win the
game 97-95. However, in Game 2 the Nuggets home winning streak would come to
an end as the Warriors started the game with 61% shooting from the field and evened
the series with a 131-117. Despite a 35 point game from Ty Lawson in Game
3 the Nuggets would fall again 110-108 as the series shifted to Oakland. The Warriors
continued to outshoot the Nuggets in Game 4, winning 115-101 to take a 3-1
series lead. Back at the Pepsi Center, the Nuggets got a big game from Andre
Iguodala who scored 25 points with 12 boards as the Nuggets won 107-100 in Game
5. However, despite another solid game from Iguodala the Nuggets season would
end with a 92-88 loss in Game 6. Following the disappointing first round exit
the Nuggets would dismiss Coach of the Year George Karl, who led them to the playoffs
in all nine seasons in Denver. They would also lose Executive of the Year
Masai Ujiri who left to become the General Manager of the Toronto Raptors. Tim
Connolly would become the Nuggets new GM, while Brian Shaw took over for George
Karl on the bench.
2013/14: It would be a tough off-season for the Nuggets as Andre Iguodala ended up going to
the Golden State Warriors as part of a sign and trade deal. The trade which also
involved the Utah Jazz saw the Nuggets get Randy Foye and a draft pick in return.
Former Coach George Karl later cracked that Iguodala was already playing
for Golden State during the playoffs. Another big loss was Danilo Gallinari
who missed the entire season recovering from a knee injury. The Nuggets would
begin the season under new Coach Brian Shaw with a 90-88 loss to the Sacramento
Kings on the road. The Nuggets would also drop their first two games at home,
but managed to finish November with a winning record at 9-6 as they were in
the middle of a seven game winning streak. However, it would be cancelled out by
an eight game skid as 2013 became 2014. The Nuggets would hover around .500 throughout
January, but after losing 9-of-12 games in February saw their playoff
hopes fade away. The Nuggets would finish the season with a record of 36-46 missing
the playoffs for the first time since 2003. 2014/15: After missing the playoffs the Denver Nuggets hoped to rebound as Danilo Galinari
returned after missing the entire season with a knee injury. Despite starting
the season with an 89-79 win over the Detroit Pistons, the Nuggets got off to a
terrible start, losing their next six games. The Nuggets would rebound and finish
November strong, getting back to .500 at 8-8. The Nuggets would struggle again
in December, and went into the New Year with a record of 13-19. After suffering
106-101 loss to the Chicago Bulls on New Year's Day the Nuggets again looked
to climb back to .500, winning five straight before the bottom dropped out.
Between January 16th and March 1st, the Nuggets won just twice in 21 games. Looking
to make in season improvements, the Nuggets were quite active in the last
six weeks before the trade deadline. Denver would acquire a pair of draft picks
for Timofey Mozgov, sending him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nuggets landed
Jameer Nelson from the Boston Celtics for Nate Robinson. In a deal with the Portland
Trail Blazers, the Nuggets would get Will Barton, Victor Claver and Thomas
Robinson along with a draft pick in exchange for Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee,
while JaVale McGee was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers with Chukwudiebere Maduabum
and a draft picked acquired earlier for Mozgov for Cenk Akyol. The Nuggets
would also make a change on the bench, firing Brian Shaw on March 3rd. Melvin
Hunt would finish the season as interim coach, as the Nuggets again failed to
make the postseason posting a record of 30-52. The lone bright spot was the play
of Ty Lawson, who led the team in scoring with 15.2 points 9.6 assists per
game.

2015/16: The Denver Nuggets played well early in the season, holding
a 6-5 record early in the season highlighted by a pair of wins over the
Houston Rockets. However, the Nuggets would not see .500 again after losing eight
straight games as November turned into December. The Nuggets would go on another
extended losing streak at the end of December, losing six straight as they
entered 2016 with a record of 12-21. Winning would be sporadic most of the season
for Denver, as they again were a non-factor in the playoff chase. March would
be solid month for the Nuggets as they posted a winning month for the only time
in the season at 9-8 sparked by a strong start where they won five of six,
including four straight. Danilo Gallinari was Denver's leading scorer with 19.5
points per game, while Emmanuel Mudiay had a solid rookie season with 12.8 points
per game after being selected seventh overall in the NBA Draft.

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2008-Present

41st NBA Season
First NBA Game Played October 22, 1976Played in ABA 1967-1976